Opinion

A tower for Midtown East

When Michael Bloomberg announced his plans to rezone a huge swath of Midtown East, the idea was to help Gotham remain a global center of commerce. Mayor de Blasio has now cut that plan down — but in the process green-lighted a tower in one of the areas most desperate for a big upgrade.

Announced Friday, the plan would let developers along a five-block corridor put up taller buildings if they agree to make certain public improvements.

That means a new skyscraper next to Grand Central — which looks to be the home for TD Bank — should go up quickly. Sounds like someone in City Hall realizes the urgency of kick-starting redevelopment in an area that badly needs it.

Our worry is the rest of Midtown East. The average building there is more than 70 years old, and zoning rules are almost as old — and grossly out of step with the needs of landlords and commercial tenants. A big-time update was overdue last year. So why play small ball?

If the mayor’s team can come up with new rules that will help facilitate development of areas beyond the TD Bank tower, we’re all for it. The danger is that in putting approval for the rest of Midtown East on hold, the mayor is increasing the likelihood that redevelopment there will become a block-by-block battle that gets bogged down in politics.

Here’s the bottom line: This Midtown section of New York is critical to New York’s future as a world-class commercial center. We’re delighted to see one tower will go up. The test will be how quickly others can follow.